UPDATE 1-Turkish navy to help NATO enforce Libya embargo

BRUSSELS, March 23 (Reuters) - Turkey has offered four
frigates, a submarine and a support ship to help enforce a NATO
mission to enforce a U.N. arms embargo on Libya, the Western
military alliance said on Wednesday.

The alliance had offers of 16 ships to implement a decision
to launch the mission taken by NATO this week, NATO military
officer Brigadier Pierre St Amand told a news briefing.

He said the ships included a command-and-control ship from
Italy; 10 frigates -- including four from Turkey and one each
from Britain, Spain, Greece, Italy, Canada and the United
States; submarines from Spain, Italy and Turkey; and auxiliary
ships from Italy and Turkey.

St Amand said the NATO mission was authorised to use armed
force to enforce the embargo.

While agreeing to enforce the arms embargo, NATO nations
have yet to agree to take part in a no-fly zone over Libya and
whether the alliance should have a leading role in the
international mission.

Turkey, a Muslim state and a NATO member, says the air
campaign over Libya led by France, the United States and Britain
has already gone beyond the scope of last week's U.N. Security
Council resolution. There was no immediate word of whether
Ankara would accept a compromise at NATO on Wednesday.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Editing by Rex Merrifield
and Sonya Hepinstall)